Personal Narrative: I Am Still A Dance

As a youth, I engaged in many forms of dance expression. I studied tap, jazz, and ballet for fifteen years. During these formative years, I choose to forgo many youth experiences so that I could participate in advance dance programs. The hard work paid off when I received a college scholarship to a performing arts

I have been dancing since the age of two. When asked about my career aspirations, there is no hesitation before saying “I want to be a dancer.” Being a dancer means putting all other distractions aside, and focusing on my craft. Currently, I dedicate over forty hours a week to dance, which is a schedule that requires sacrifice. When I am dancing, the rest of the world fades away, slipping out of my mind with relaxed importance. For that moment in time, I am completely free, wholly focused on my goals, letting me know dance is what I’m meant to do. With this realization comes a responsibility to myself and the work I have put into improving my craft thus far, and I know I must seek out the best opportunities for growth and continued learning.

Dance is one of the major things that defines my identity and it is an interest that had become so meaningful, that without it my application would be incomplete. This has been able to shape me throughout the years, from discipline and maturity all the way yo leadership and teamwork. I find dance as an art work, that it is easy to make mistakes and fall, you just have to learn from those mistakes and get up twice as strong as from where you started. Dance is to look above and beyond and just let everything fall into place without hesitation.

My whole life changed on October 29 of 2012. Before this date, I was just practicing hard like any other dancer would. Two days a week and two hours a day, sweat, sore muscles, and all my work poured into my dancing. Dancing provides knowledge, emotion and dedication. Recognizing that I have built that from when I was young is a huge feeling of accomplishment, like the first time riding a bike without training wheels.

People often think that dancing is just about having to do a routine, but it isn’t. I just don’t dance, I perform, I breath, I count, I see the world slowly fade away. I create my own little place to be safe in. I release my feelings, and thoughts. I tear down the walls that stop me from being happy, and that allows me not to be angry anymore. I lose the pain, and I let go of that girl that is full of hurt, and I smile. It is not just about doing a dance it is much more than that. What I do is something wonderful that I can not find the words to express how amazing it makes me

I had just moved to Washington state and I auditioned for the local dance studio’s competition team for fun. I had no idea how talented they were. And I was just an untrained recreational dancer…Not surprisingly, I didn’t earn a coveted spot on the team it the first time I auditioned. That didn’t stop me from training seriously and auditioning for the team each year until I made it. And here I stand, now starting on my sixth year on the team and as one of the last people from my original team who decided not to quit when they started high school. Dance isn’t just twirling around in pretty pink tutus. What the general population doesn’t picture when they think of dance is the tremendous amount of strenuous work and the blood and sweat and tears that goes into every performance and competition. Certain dancers can’t handle it and quit when they realize they don’t have the passion. My passion keeps me living and breathing and most importantly, dancing, when times get

Dance has influenced my life in many ways, but one experience I will never forget is when I earned Senior Feature Dancer. As a dancer, a person, and the woman I am becoming dance has always been so important to me. It immediately caught my attention because it was my escape and my happy place. My passion for the sport is what gave me motivation to do better and gain confidence that I lacked. I was able to make friends who would last me a lifetime.

My mouth hung open as I watched the gorgeous, graceful girls leap and twirl across the gym floor during their annual summer mini-camp. From that point forward, I knew that I wanted to be a Chiefette. I studied up on the history of the team, watched every one of their public performances, and enrolled in dance team preparation classes. Each year, the Chiefettes got better and better, and during each dance, their pirouettes and jetes grabbed my heart and carried me with them through their emotional journey. Their movement quality astounded me; I wasn’t exactly sure how a team of so many girls could dance in unison with seemingly effortless grace. I knew from talking to the girls on the elite team that they maintained excellent grades, participated in other school activities and sports, and volunteered within the community. These girls were my idols, and I thought that the only way to have a positive high school experience was to join the dance team. There was no question in my mind that I would be on the team all four years of high school, and because I had prior dance experience, that I would be one of the better dancers on the team. Throughout middle school, I dreamed about the day when I would finally be able to call myself a Chiefette, but I soon realized that I had no idea the amount of hard work and talent that it took to earn that

I was born in a seaside city where people enjoy the first ray of sunlight of a day. Running and playing on the beach is my favorite routine of my childhood life, and all my friends said that I was good at “dancing.” Frankly, I did not know what dancing was at that moment, but every time I moved my body that made me satisfied to see how it could move and make all those beautiful curves. Noticed that, my parents sent me to an after-school dance class to study when I was five, and I kept studying for seven years during which I got to be more attracted to this form of movements. In 2005, when I was twelve, I started my professional dance study in a local technical secondary school. Then，I realize that “dancing” could be my future and my life.

It takes both an athlete and an artist to be able to dance. Dance requires you to have muscular strength, flexibility, physical and emotional endurance. People usually question why dancers love what they do when there is a whopping 80% of professional dancers that get injured every year. The answer is simple though, what keeps them going though is the constant love and encouragement from friends and family.

I started taking dance lessons at the age of three and once I started you couldn’t get me to stop. I was at the studio more than I was at home, if I wasn’t dancing I was watching the older girls, wishing I could be as good as them. Although I almost quit when I was eight, after my mom left. She said she just couldn’t do it any more and the next morning she was gone. After

We practiced vigorously over summer. I’d wake up at 7 am and have practice till 3 pm. We went to Los Angeles to a dance camp. There were other dancers who were one hundred times better than me. Dancers that had dedicated every moment of their life since they were three. We performed in front of the other dance teams and it was tragic. I was early on some parts and forgot others. When we had gotten back I knew I had to be the best I could be. Months and months of hard work, stretching, and dedication had paid off. I was moved to Varsity and I’m the only person in the 3 years of the dance team to do so.

Since the early age of four, I have been mesmerized by classical ballet. Every week, I watched my dance teacher display her beautiful skills during class, and I hoped that I could dance as well as her someday. As my love for ballet continued to grow, my opportunities widened. In the fall of 2013, I became a member of the dance ensemble at the dance studio I attend. When I joined the Pointe Academy Dance Ensemble, my position at the dance studio shifted from being a student dancing in the back of the room, to a dancer who learned how to teach others and set a good example for younger students. To me, being a role model and using acquired experience to inspire and guide others is leadership. My dance ensemble has been my most meaningful leadership experience because it is the source of where I have become a leader.

Throughout my time at the O’brien Center of The Arts, performing has been a tremendous part of my ballet experience. The long hours and demanding rehearsals often creates a stressful environment, but the effect of this has helped me develop the ability to successfully cope with those pressures while establishing a quality production. I love the feeling of dancing on stage, challenging myself, and doing things I never thought I could do. I have danced numerous performances at the Spreckles Theater at Rohnert Park, and have been given very difficult roles. The discipline needed to perfect the choreography, and stay in sync with my fellow dance members is colossal, and takes a tremendous investment of my time and practice. This may seem somewhat

Dancing has also challenged me into channeling my creativity in the form of choreography. Anyone could go to a dance recital and admire the grace of a dancer's movement, but the majority do not realize the dedication and hard work that goes into bringing that to life. It takes hours upon hours of practice and patience to create a piece so beautiful that it takes the audience's breath away. Moments like those, where every muscle in your body is screaming from exhaustion and you can't seem to catch your breath, are the moments in which people would normally give up, but I've learned to push through and the end result has always been worthwhile. If dance hadn't become such a tremendous part of my life I wouldn't be the strong person and leader that I now am today. It's taught me to step up to the plate and better myself by helping others become more talented